We Are Y.A.L.L.
The Young Advocates Leadership Lab is NETWORK's education and advocacy program for students and educators. We have multiple pathways for college and high school students, and the faculty and staff who support them, to join in our federal advocacy work rooted in Catholic Social Justice tradition.
The Sister Carol Coston, OP Fellowship
The Sr. Carol Coston, OP Fellowship is the centerpiece program of NETWORK’s political ministry work with young advocates and their advisors. Through a competitive application process each fall, a small cohort of young advocates are chosen from college campuses nationwide. The Fellowship provides a paid opportunity for college freshman, sophomore, and junior students to to build support for faith-filled advocacy on their campuses as they participate in NETWORK’S advocacy on the federal level to achieve an inclusive, multiracial, multi-faith democracy.
Fellows gain experience organizing and lobbying on multiple issues including immigration, healthcare, and food security. The program runs from January through November with a summer break.
College and High School Groups
NETWORK offers a number of experiential learning opportunities for college and high school groups. Possible opportunities include, but are not limited to:
Capitol Hill Lobby Visit Day Guided day of lobby visits at the United States Capitol. Includes training and materials to equip students for visits with congressional offices. Requires a commitment to thorough preparation. Please reach out at least two months in advance of your preferred visit date.
Virtual Lobby Visit Similar to the Capitol Hill Lobby Visit Day but allows groups who are not traveling to Washington, D.C. to experience a lobby visit from a digital device (typically a Zoom meeting). Training and materials are included.
NETWORK Workshops Either virtually or on location, NETWORK organizers lead the following workshops: (1) Intro to Faith-Based Advocacy, (2) About NETWORK, (3) Catholic Social Justice, or (4) Racial Wealth and Income Gap (RWIG). Workshops can be tailored to last forty-five minutes to two hours.
Retreat Day If you would like to experience multiple workshops, NETWORK can collaborate with your staff to create a day of programming specific to your institution.
Learn More
Meet Our Fellows
Faculty and Staff
You're invited to join the Educator Advocates Team monthly virtual meetings. These sessions are open to teachers, professors, campus ministers, and others at Catholic institutions to support their students in organizing on NETWORK’s policy issues. Currently, we are advocating for An Economy for All policy agenda which includes issues like food security, immigration, healthcare, and environmental justice. Meetings last for one hour and include federal legislative updates from NETWORK staff, opportunities for conversation and planning with other social justice-minded educators, and a timely call to action for student organizing in the field. Students may attend with a faculty or staff member.
To inquire about these opportunities, please reach out to Chelsea at info@networklobby.org.
Get in touch with Y.A.L.L.
Chelsea is NETWORK’s Grassroots Mobilization Outreach and Education Coordinator and leads the Y.A.L.L. program. Please send her an email with any questions.
Have questions?
For inquiries about any aspect of NETWORK's Young Advocates Learning Lab (Y.A.L.L.), please reach out to Chelsea at info@networklobby.org.